Drying apparatus

Abstract

A main body ( 100 ) may constitute the frame of a drying apparatus, and a moving bar ( 230 ) may be mounted to the main body ( 100 ) to move up and down along the front surface thereof. The moving bar ( 230 ) may be moved up and down by being driven by the drive assembly ( 210 ). Most of the drive assembly ( 210 ) may be installed at a position corresponding to the installation space ( 150 ) of a duct ( 130 ) formed in the main body ( 100 ).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A drying apparatus for drying a human body comprising:
 a main body having an entrance hole through which air is introduced thereinto and having outlets through which the air is discharged toward a front of the main body; 
 a fan assembly disposed inside the entrance hole of the main body to receive the air from a rear surface of the main body and to generate a flow of the air; 
 a moving bar movably mounted to the main body to discharge air introduced from an outside of the moving bar while moving up and down along the main body; and 
 a drive assembly disposed in the main body to supply a driving force for the movement of the moving bar, 
 wherein the drive assembly comprises: a raising/lowering guide having a raising/lowering rack gear disposed therein; a raising/lowering unit to move up and down along the raising/lowering guide together with the moving bar, the raising/lowering unit having a drive gear engaging with the raising/lowering rack gear; and a bar drive source to drive the drive gear. 
 
     
     
       2. The drying apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the raising/lowering rack gear is disposed along each of opposite side surfaces of the raising/lowering guide, and in the raising/lowering unit, the bar drive source and the drive gear are disposed to correspond with the raising/lowering rack gear of the raising/lowering guide. 
     
     
       3. The drying apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the raising/lowering rack gear of the raising/lowering guide is disposed along at least a side surface of the raising/lowering guide, and the drive gear which engages with the raising/lowering rack gear and the bar drive source which drives the drive gear are disposed in the raising/lowering unit. 
     
     
       4. The drying apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the raising/lowering unit includes a guide channel in which the raising/lowering guide is located, and is disposed at a surface of a unit casing constituting an exterior of the raising/lowering unit. 
     
     
       5. The drying apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the raising/lowering unit includes a pair of first guide rollers that rotates in contact with the raising/lowering guide at positions corresponding to an upper end of the guide channel, and is disposed in the unit casing, and a pair of second guide rollers that rotates in contact with the raising/lowering guide at positions corresponding to a lower end of the guide channel, and is disposed in the unit casing. 
     
     
       6. The drying apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the drive gear disposed in the unit casing protrudes toward the guide channel and engages with the raising/lowering rack gear of the raising/lowering guide at a position of the guide channel between the pair of first guide rollers and the pair of second guide rollers. 
     
     
       7. The drying apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein a portion of the drive gear disposed in the unit casing protrudes toward a surface of a side of the guide channel at the position between the pair of first guide rollers and the pair of second guide rollers, the unit casing at a side of the guide channel at which the drive gear is not disposed has a width smaller than a width of the unit casing at the side of the guide channel at which the drive gear is disposed. 
     
     
       8. The drying apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the raising/lowering guide is formed to be an integrated raising/lowering guide as a whole, or is formed to have at least two raising/lowering guides connected to each other. 
     
     
       9. The drying apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein when the raising/lowering guide is formed to have the at least two raising/lowering guides connected to each other, the raising/lowering guide is disposed in a space inside the main body, and the raising/lowering unit is disposed between the raising/lowering guide and a front plate disposed in front of the main body. 
     
     
       10. A drying apparatus for drying a human body comprising:
 a main body having an entrance hole through which air is introduced thereinto and having outlets through which the air is discharged toward a front of the main body; 
 a fan assembly disposed inside the entrance hole of the main body to receive the air from a rear surface of the main body and to generate a flow of the air; 
 a moving bar movably mounted to the main body to discharge air introduced from an outside of the moving bar while moving up and down along the main body; and 
 a drive assembly disposed in the main body to supply a driving force for the movement of the moving bar, 
 wherein the drive assembly comprises: a bar drive source to supply the driving force; a lead screw disposed at the main body and rotated by the bar drive source; and a moving block movably mounted to the lead screw to move along the lead screw by a rotation of the lead screw. 
 
     
     
       11. The drying apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a duct disposed at the main body and communicating with the fan assembly to allow the flow of the air to be discharged to the outlets, wherein the duct includes a first flow path and a second flow path that are separated from each other. 
 
     
     
       12. The drying apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the duct includes inner walls that separate the first flow path and the second flow path, wherein the drive assembly is disposed in a space defined by the inner walls. 
     
     
       13. The drying apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the moving block of the drive assembly and the moving bar are coupled to each other by a connection bracket. 
     
     
       14. The drying apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the connection bracket extends from the moving block in directions toward opposite sides of the main body, and opposite end parts of the moving bar are coupled to opposite end parts of the connection bracket. 
     
     
       15. The drying apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the opposite end parts of the moving bar extend into the main body through movement channels formed along opposite edges of the main body and are coupled to the connection bracket. 
     
     
       16. A drying apparatus for drying a human body comprising:
 a main body having an entrance hole through which air is introduced thereinto and having outlets through which the air is discharged toward a front of the main body; 
 a fan assembly disposed inside the entrance hole of the main body to receive the air from a rear of the main body and to generate a flow of the air; 
 a duct disposed at the main body and communicating with the fan assembly to allow the flow of the air to be delivered to the outlets; 
 a moving bar movably mounted to the main body to discharge air introduced from an outside of the bar while moving up and down along the main body; and 
 a drive assembly disposed in the main body to supply a driving force for the movement of the moving bar, 
 wherein at least a portion of the drive assembly is disposed in a space defined by the duct. 
 
     
     
       17. The drying apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the duct includes a first flow path and a second flow path that are separated from each other, and the space is defined by inner walls of the first flow path and the second flow path. 
     
     
       18. The drying apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising a connection bracket that connects the drive assembly and the moving bar to each other, wherein the connection bracket extends from the drive assembly in directions toward opposite sides of the main body, and opposite end parts of the moving bar are coupled to opposite end parts of the connection bracket. 
     
     
       19. The drying apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the opposite end parts of the moving bar extend into the main body through movement channels formed along opposite edges of the main body and are coupled to the connection bracket. 
     
     
       20. The drying apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the drive assembly comprises:
 a bar drive source to supply the driving force; 
 a lead screw disposed at the main body and rotated by the bar drive source; and 
 a moving block movably mounted to the lead screw and moved along the lead screw by the rotation of the lead screw.